Hamas have had a re-think

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Sunday September 25, 2005 23:05

by mark

Hamas have just instructed all their militants to return to the pre-Israeli withdrawl from the Gaza strip unofficial ceasefire and not fire any more Qassam rockets at Israel.

"The movement declares an end to its operations from the Gaza Strip against the Israeli occupation, which came ... in response to the assaults by the enemy," Hamas's leader, Mahmoud al-Zahar in Gaza said. The assaults referred to were the killing of Islamic Jihad leaders in the last 3 days.

He added ""Hamas's interest to protect the Palestinian people from the oppression of the Zionists and to preserve the atmosphere of celebrations at the defeat of the occupation".

The surprise news comes after a leading Hamas militant and other member were killed in Isreali airforce attack ons Gaza.

A Hamas in the refugee camp of Jabaliya, on Friday saw a carbomb exploded killing 10 of whom 2 were children and injuring some 85 others of whom 20 are in critical condition.

The bomb in a jeep detonated in the Hamas rally of over a thousand at the moment Ismaïl Haniyeh
a leading Hamas member took the stand to revindicate his movement's belief that the withdrawl of the IDF this summer resulted from sustained attacks by Hamas on Israeli settlements, towns and military positions.

Military exchanges between Palestinian and Israelis in the last 70 hours have seen a death-toll approaching 20 and the president of the palestinian authority Mahmoud Abbas appeal to the USA to intervene.

Islamic jihad for their part through spokesperson Mohamed al Hindi have insisted that the IDF airforce attack which killed one of their leaders Mohamed Jalil in a rocket attack which left a 6 meter crater will not deter the group from future attacks.

The recent trouble began after clashes between Islamic jihad and the IDF this last week.

the HQ of the group Islamic Jihad are in Syria, Mohammed Khalil another leader of the group was killed by IDF helicopter attack on the mercedes chrysler benz car he was travelling in.

This was the fourth time Israel has attempted to kill Mr Khalil.

Both Israel and the Palestinian authority will hold elections in 2006, which extremists in both "potential democratic neighbours" posed to contest fiercely.